A Victorian Cabin in the Woods
by Stargategeek
Summary: The Five take a two-week get-away to a rustic cabin in the country-side to finish their work on the Source Blood. Helen expects a wonderful trip with her dearest friends but everything is not as it seems, something seems to be wrong with Nikola, that threatens to change the innocent and relaxing trip of picnics, fishing, and revolutionary experimentation in to a realm of terror.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Helen gazed out the window at the world passing by her as their carriage maneuvered around the long narrow mountain roads. They curved low and high; to the right was pure cliff face, jagged rock formed by water and weathered by time; to the left was pure open country. Tall, untouched trees bursting out of the earth like fingers reaching for the sky. No mark of civilization for miles aside from the dirt road beneath them.

The carriage jostled the group inside and Helen had to put a hand up to prevent herself from hitting the window.

"Must've hit a rock," mumbled James beside her.

"Quite astute, Dr. Watson, Scotland Yard should have a field day detaining the criminal," muttered Nikola. He sat with his arms folded in the seat across from Helen.

Nigel sat beside him completely asleep, his arms folded and his head bent, not even stirred by the jiggling of the carriage or Nikola's sarcasm.

"Nikola," Helen warned,"Be nice, we still have a few miles to go before you irritate everybody."

She meant it teasingly but he sneered at her anyway.

This was the first "vacation" the Five had ever taken together. Helen thought it would be a marvelous treat to spend a fortnight in a beautiful, old rustic cabin that belonged to a colleague of her fathers. They hadn't really done anything as friends since they started working on the blood and Helen was eager for the chance for the five of them to work in private without any disruptions.

Nikola, however, was not so eager, he was not really the "rustic" type. Helen hadn't thought about his aversion to dirt, and peculiar hygiene regime when she had chosen their vacation spot. So, it was kind of her fault for his sour mood, but she was glad he was there anyways. He was her closest friend, out of the four men she considered her dearest friends.

"He'll perk up once we get there," James said optimistically.

"Yes, Nikola is just putting on a show for attention. After a fortnight he won't want to leave," John joined in the teasing beside James.

Nikola sneered at them both.

"Ah ha ha, your humor astounds me," Nikola scowled and crossed his leg over the other and turned to face completely out the window, as close to sulking in a corner as he could achieve in the tiny space.

He felt a soft, dainty hand on his knee and he turned to meet Helen's eyes.

"Please Nikola, try to enjoy this week...for me?" Helen whispered to him.

He sighed.

"I will not enjoy it...but I won't sulk about it...for you," Nikola uncrossed his arms and smoothed out his suit. "It's only 2 weeks, I can handle that."

He said that to encourage himself, not so much to ease Helen's doubts.

Helen smiled softly and patted his knee then lent back in her seat to watch out the window again.

Nikola kept his eyes on her a few seconds longer, something indescribable flashing in front of his eyes before he sniffed dismissively and leant back in his seat, crossing his legs and looking out the window as well.

The valley seemed endless below them, and the trees seemed to want to swallow the entire mountainside up. It was breath-taking.

The road seemed endless. Endless bumps, swerves, hills and trees. Nikola was about sick of nature when they came up to an old rickety wooden bridge.

"How deep in the woods is this cabin?" asked Nikola.

"Should be just over this bridge and a little further," said Helen.

"Well, we certainly won't be disturbed," commented John with a smirk.

"That's the idea," Helen looked at John, a strange moment passing between them.

James was otherwise occupied trying to gently prod Nigel awake, so he didn't see it, but Nikola did, and he tried not to look as loathsome as he felt, so he directed it out the window once again.

Soon enough the carriage came to a slow halt in front of the much-anticipated cabin in the woods.

Nigel started awake a moment afterwards as if a tiny alarm had set off in his head for that specific time.

Helen was all too eager to hop out of the carriage into the forest clearing.

"Oh! Isn't it marvelous!"

Nikola was the second to disembark and looked up to the source of her awe: a dingy little wood shack.

He sneered. "Marvelous is not the word, dear Helen," he muttered.

Helen scoffed and smacked him playfully across his chest with the back of her hand.

James got out of the carriage and his expression upon seeing the cabin nearly matched Helen's.

"Oh my!" he came up to Helen and they shared excited smiles.

John came out of the carriage next, his look not one of awe as his eyes met with the house.

"How quaint," his mouth curled into a small smile.

"It's absolutely marvelous!" Helen jittered on the spot.

Nigel came out last, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Are we there yet?" he asked.

"Yes," Nikola sighed. "Wherever here is."

Helen laughed and shoved Nikola playfully.

"Alright, grumpy gills, if you're going to be such a toad this entire trip you can bring in our bags," she commanded with a fiery look in her eyes.

Nikola's scowl deepened but he did what he was told. The driver was already on the roof unbuckling the straps holding their bags securely.

The other four went happily inside the cabin as Nikola growled to himself, catching the first bag that was thrown down to him.

"Oh, and Nikola, don't drop anything," John called back to him from the front porch of the cabin.

Nikola sneered at him once again and John entered into the house with a hearty snicker.

The driver tossed another bag down and Nikola immediately recognized it as John's. Without much thought he pulled his hands away and carelessly let the bag fall to the dusty ground into a nice stagnant puddle.

"Whoops," he shrugged, still holding the first bag in his arms.

Soon, he had all five bags in his arms and had paid off the driver. The carriage was turning around to leave them stranded here in the middle of nowhere.

Nikola let out a heavy sigh as he watched the carriage ride away, then turned to the dusty old cabin before him.

This was going to be fun...not.

He took in the building in amongst the tall, never-ending trees.

It looked...ancient...and dirty...and unsanitary in every respect.

It looked like it had an old chimney coming out the roof and a full load of chopped firewood stacked against the side of the wrap-around porch that surrounded the front entrance. It was the kind of place that looked small from the outside but on the inside it had spectacularly more room; a backwoods getaway complete with creaky floorboards, worn furniture and stuffed animal heads. There was even a little workshed behind it.

Nikola felt like it was more sanitary to sleep in the dirt outside than be host to the whole wealth of infection lying inside that house.

He heard Helen laughing from inside though, and he bucked up his courage and swallowed his distaste. She wanted him here, so he was going to make the best of it.

With that he strolled as confidently as he could towards the house.

Helen and the rest of the Five were sitting in the living room, sharing a laugh over something, not ceasing even as Nikola walked into the room and unceremoniously dropped all the bags on the floor, except for Helen's. He strode up to her and curtly handed it off to her.

"Thank you, Nikola," Helen smiled brightly at him.

"I have done what you have asked, we are here, now, what do you want me to do?" he said through his tight jaw.

"Enjoy yourself," Helen put a hand on his shoulder and he relaxed slightly.

"It would be easier to make a time machine," he joked snidely.

"Aw, come on, Nikola! Look, this place isn't even all that filthy!" cried Nigel.

"Yes, it is very well-maintained, despite appearances," James concurred.

"What's a few dust bunnies?" John added with a coy smile.

Helen tried to contain her laughter by throwing a hand over her mouth, but it didn't work.

Nikola scowled at all four of them.

"Now, now, lets not make fun, or he will be like this for the whole two weeks," Helen snickered. "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry, Nikola, I couldn't help myself. I...we're done. Right?"

The other three men nodded.

Somehow Nikola didn't believe them.

"Where am I sleeping?" asked Nikola with an impatient gleam in his eye. They were mocking him and his eccentricities, they always had, and he was damned if he would sit there and take it pleasantly. He was miserable here, with them, and he wanted everybody to know.

It wasn't just the dirt, or the dust, or the paltry bathing facilities, or the lack of heating he loathed so much, his dislike for being here was very simple actually, he just hid it underneath all that because, strangely enough, it was easier to explain.

"You and Nigel will share the room down the hall, James and John will share the room across from it and I will take the room down here," she pointed to the opposite side of the cabin.

Nikola was slightly uncomfortable with that but suppressed voicing his concern. She would undeniably hit him if he mentioned he'd rather have her safely nearby, to protect her. Helen was strong-willed, and hated the idea of being defenseless and meek, she could wield a weapon just like (and sometimes better than) any of the boys could.

He bit his cheek and nodded, picking up his case and immediately retreating to the safety and seclusion of his bedroom.

Helen shared a look with the rest of the group before sighing and following after him.

Nigel, too, picked up his bag from the floor, as well as handing James' bag to him. John stalked over and picked up his suitcase, noticing it was dripping water from one corner.

He growled.

"Petty bastard," he stood up and clenched his teeth. Nikola was being a brat as usual, and as usual Helen was bending over backwards to appease him, because if she didn't he would endeavor to make the entire vacation a misery. Couldn't he just bite his tongue and be happy, for Helen?

Nikola plopped his case down on an old wood trunk and huffed at the state of the room. He barely wanted to touch anything let alone sleep in it.

He hated this place; he hated that he had to be here; he hated everyone and everything!

He heard a soft rapping at the door and Helen entered.

"Nikola, may I?" she asked sweetly.

He sighed heavily.

"If you must," he began rifling through his bag to distract himself.

"You're miserable here, I know," Helen came up around him, her head just by his ear, as she put her hands on his shoulders.

"It's not just that..."

"I know," Helen's arms slid around his waist in an affectionate hug. She always liked to hug him like this because it instantly relaxed him. She slightly rocked him side to side as she held him. Like this she could convince him to do anything.

"I just don't appreciate being mocked for it," he sighed, leaning back into her.

"I know, Nikki, I understand," she said soothingly.

"I'll never like it here Helen, I barely like my childhood home, and its cleaner than this place is," he complained, Helen continued rocking him.

"Please, try to have a good time, Nikola, please, aside from all the dirt, can you at least try to enjoy being with us?" Her voice was honeyed and softly pleading and he sucked in a deep contemptible breath before letting it out through his nose, flaring his nostrils.

"All right! All right! I will try - hear me, _try_ - to be a good sport," he sighed.

"I brought you a gift," Helen tried to ply him further. "Something that will make all of this worthwhile."

"What year?"

"82 Merlot," she said slyly.

"The good stuff?" he perked up like a hound catching the scent of a fox.

"The great stuff that my father wouldn't let you touch in a million years," she said with a smile.

"For me?" he turned around to look at her, unfortunately breaking the embrace.

"All for you, sparing maybe one or two sips for me," she grinned.

"In exchange for..."

"For improving your attitude, yes," Helen nodded.

Nikola had to mull it over, really good wine just to pretend he was happy. He could do that.

"I guess that could improve my spirits ever-so-slightly," he shrugged.

Helen smiled and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"Thank you, now go out there and apologize for earlier and then we can get to work!"

"Apologize!" Nikola cried. "If anything they should apologize to me, they have done nothing but tease me since we embarked on our journey here!"

"Nikola," Helen groaned, her eyes rolling in her skull. "Just do it or I'll give the wine to Nigel."

"Nigel! The little weasel couldn't even..." he sucked in a calming breath. "Fine, fine, whatever you wish."

He walked past her and marched to the living room with precise and insurmountable speed.

"I'm sorry for being such a crab apple, I will endeavor to be...less so," he said curtly, to the stunned confusion of the group.

Nikola turned to Helen.

"There, happy?" he asked.

Helen smiled at him.

"It will do for now," she looked at the rest of the group with a bright smile. She had tamed the beast.

~~~~Author's Note~~~~

Hey all. So I started writing this a while back and have a few chapters of it written down. I wasn't sure if i was going to post it but I decided hey what the hell. Anyone family with cult classic horror films will probably recognize the inspiration for this fic. It was a silly thought that came to me and just had to be explored, the results aren't as ridiculous (so far) as you would think, due to my incessant propensity to have everything make sense in the canon universe. So yes, this is a big old bout of Tesla-whumping because I'm cruel and I can.

Hope you enjoy.

I have a few other fics that I have written so far that I might be throwing up in the next few weeks, these are just some works that I have played with over the course of my fanship with Sanctuary. Some I like...some not so much. I would like your feedback to know if they are worth continuing. Some of my unfinished fics that are already up here might be getting there last chapters written, but I make no promises, my writer's brain is a strange and fickle beast and is stubborn as a mule when it wants to be. I will definitely be finishing Old Souls Young Eyes, a new chapter will be posted soon. Here We Meet Again is...pissing me off...but I might be able to at least give it an ending, albeit a shoddy one (at least in my mind) but an ending none-the-less...either that or I will overhaul it completely to be better or scrap it so I don't have to think about it anymore...see fickle. Cowards...I don't want to talk about that one...I'll come to it when I come to it. That is the update on the writing situation. Sit back and relax in the comfort of knowing I have ten chapters of this story already written and waiting.

Thanks my loves!

~Geek


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The rest of the day flowed nicely into the evening. True to his word Nikola improved his mood significantly, keeping his biting sarcastic comments to himself and even managing to crack a smile every once and awhile. Though Helen knew he would never quite be comfortable in the cabin he really was trying to be good.

The day had involved them scouring the woods, exploring the area around them. A mile off, where the bridge was, was a raging river that wound through the valley like a snake. Nigel had managed to find a path that led to a shallower bank of the river where the rapids weren't nearly as strong and deemed it a perfect spot for fishing. He and James were already making plans to fashion fishing rods out of sticks and string like they did in their childhoods. John briefly considered grabbing one of the shot guns he'd found in the cabin and hunting some wild game but Helen had fought strongly against it. There were enough dead animals in the house as it was.

The friend of Helen's father had apparently come about a day before them and stocked the cabin's cabinets, pantry and cellar with food. Cured meats, sausages, cheese, bread, a selection of fruit and some canned preserves of almost every variety from jams to soups. Everything they would need to survive for two weeks. He had also stocked them up with a load of firewood and plenty of matches. Helen had the keys to every door in the cabin, including the cellar which was accessible via a trapdoor in the corner of the living room, there was a cold storage down there for some of the canned goods and about a ton of potatoes, and Nikola's favorite, the wine. If it weren't for the dirt down there Nikola would've locked himself in and never left, unfortunately Nikola could only stand being in there for about three minutes before the overwhelming urge to bathe himself came upon him.

Despite the rustic nature of the cabin it actually had electricity and water. Well, it had a water pump, but it was clean. John and Nikola had already filled the rooftop tanks for the shower stalls in the back of the cabin. With the sun beating the way it was they could have nice warm showers by tomorrow evening. Helen had filled a basin for Nikola and put it in his room with some clean cloths.

By the time the sun went down they were fully settled in to their new surroundings.

James, Helen, and Nigel set up their lab in the living room, Nikola assisting in setting up the Bunsen burners. They were there for a reason, despite their adventuring. Helen wanted a quiet desolate place to conduct their experiments.

John had gone down to the cellar to fetch something while they prepped the experiment. Six months of hard work went into this project and it was finally coming into fruition. Vampire blood. The key to unlocking a whole new world of science...as Helen would like to believe.

She and James chattered over notes in the corner while Nikola and Nigel set to prepping the saline solution.

The key to this experiment was creating a formula for a serum, the main component being the source blood and Helen was sure she got it, running a few successful tests on some mice. Helen was sure this was it.

Nikola could not say no to a chance at greatness.

John re-emerged from the cellar holding a bundle in his arms.

Helen looked up.

"John? What is that?" she asked.

"I don't know, I found it in the cellar," he shrugged.

"Put it back, it could be a dead animal," Nikola moved away from him, a grimace crossing his features.

"It's too solid to be that. I think it's a book," said John.

"It's probably a diary or something private, Nikola's right you should return it," James said sternly.

"If it turns out to be so then I will, but you can't deny me the curiosity of opening it, can you?" John gave the two of them a sly grin.

Nikola rolled his eyes in annoyance.

"It could be the diary of a dead pirate, like Sir Francis or Captain Kidd," Nigel gleamed like a young boy fantasizing of adventure.

"Or the young Missus of the man who owns this place," James countered.

"Could be something boring like a log for taxes," suggested John.

"Could be a home for maggots, open it outside!" Nikola growled.

"Oh hush, Nick, old chap, it's not going to kill you," John rolled his eyes, carefully unbuckling the tight belt securing the enwrapped curiosity.

John unwound the many layers of cloth until he finally reached the book. It was bound by a whole feast of twine wrapped crossways over the covers of the book and beneath that another layer of fabric.

"Whoever did bury this book they sure went to a lot of trouble to make sure nobody read it," muttered John.

"All the more reason to put it back where you found it," said James.

"Not now, I've almost freed it," John laughed.

"John, please," Helen sighed.

John gave her a look then put the book down.

"Fine, at least until we're done with the experiment," sighed John. He lazily wrapped the book back up in the fabric and placed it on a stand near the settee in the living room and went to stand by Helen.

She whispered a thank you to him and squeezed his arm gently.

Nikola watched the interaction carefully, trying not to squeeze his hands into fists. He relaxed them quickly and stretched out his long fingers, then turned back to his task. Sterilizing.

The water and vinegar was boiling quite well and he picked up a cloth, wiping off the small syringe in his hand with it before plopping it in the bubbling water.

Nikola sighed and put down the cloth.

"Five minutes until we're ready," he announced to the group.

Helen smiled brightly at this.

"Excellent," she nodded.

"Uh, Helen, may I have a word with you in private before we commence with this...experiment?" asked John.

Helen turned to him in surprise but nodded.

Nikola felt his fist clenching up again.

"Why don't we step outside?" Helen suggested.

John nodded and the two of them left. Neither James nor Nigel had paid much attention to this interaction but Nikola had heard every word.

He turned back to the table and watched the boiling pot with almost a kin spirit. A moment later he put the cloth in his hand down.

"I'm going to fetch more firewood," Nikola muttered.

"Would you mind chopping a few while you're out there?" asked James. "We've already burnt through a good chunk of it."

"Yes, yes," Nikola sighed, irritably, waving his hand aimlessly as he moved to the door.

Swinging an ax might actually make him feel better right now.

Beside the house near the wood pile was an old thick tree stump used as a chopping block and an old rusty ax that had probably been left one too many times out in the rain. Nikola placed a log on the block and with all his might brought the ax down in one fell swoop ending the motion with a satisfying "khunk" as it hit the wood.

He hit again, and again until he finally felt drained of all his anger and he gathered up the pieces of firewood he'd made into a pile in his arms and was heading back to the cabin when he heard a sound.

It was coming from the back of the house.

Following his curiosity he peeked around the side of the house to see Helen and John lip-locked in a tender embrace.

He immediately ducked out of sight behind the side of the house, pressing his back against the wall, trying to suppress his pained groan at seeing them. His eyes squeezed shut as he tried to push the memory out of his mind.

"John, please," Helen's voice broke through his thoughts.

Nikola opened his eyes again.

"I mean its lovely and all but we should really be headed back inside," Helen moved to step out of his embrace.

Nikola peeked around the house again.

"Wait, Helen...I didn't bring you out here just to kiss you," John blushed sheepishly at the admission. "I actually wanted to...to give you this before...before we underwent the experiment."

John handed Helen a box. It was too big to be a ring, and too small to be anything practical.

Nikola heard Helen gasp.

"John, it's beautiful," she held up a beautifully engraved locket on a chain.

"Open it and read what it says on the inside," John coaxed her. She did so.

_"My dearest Helen. Forever, love John."_

Helen smiled brightly.

"Thank you John," Helen leaned up and kissed him.

Something twinged in Nikola's stomach.

"I know it's not much, but..."

"Oh, no! It's wonderful!" Helen put a hand on his chest.

"I thought it would be a nice gesture to...to commemorate our courtship," John smiled bashfully and Helen kissed him once more.

"I love it, I will keep it with me always," she turned around to let him fasten it around her neck.

She tucked it carefully under the collar of her camisole so that it wouldn't dangle over the Bunsen burners while they worked but smiled brightly none-the-less.

Nikola was envious of that smile.

He had known of their private courtship for some time, but pretended that he didn't because it was easier that way...most of the time. He suspected James knew of it as well but didn't bother to mention it or even pay attention to it more than necessary. Nigel was the only one blissfully in the dark, though he wouldn't be surprised if the short cockney had his suspicions.

This was the main reason he did not want to be trapped here, in this tiny cabin for two weeks. He saw all the shared glances and knowing smiles, flirtatious touches and secret meetings, and it killed him. Being here was torture, and because of this he was beyond miserable. At least at the Sanctuary he could lock himself in the opposite end of the premises and ignore the fact that Helen was in love with...him.

"Now, we should head back inside before James starts sending Scotland Yard after us," teased John and Helen laughed.

"Yes, back to work," Helen took his hand and they started walking towards Nikola.

In a panic Nikola quickly ducked behind the workshed to escape detection, still carrying the firewood.

When Helen and John passed without noticing him he let out a sigh of relief and leaned against the side of the shed, his eyes closing once again.

There was no point in pining for her when she had clearly chosen the man she wants, but he couldn't, he just couldn't drop her; he was passionately, painstakingly and irrevocably in love with her. He dreamt about her at night, he fantasized about her when he was alone with his thoughts; she utterly consumed him night and day.

And she was in love with John. It made him want to scream.

Nikola sucked in a deep breath to control himself. Yes, he loved her, but she would undoubtedly cast him out if he tried to split her from John...or laugh in his face if he was forthcoming about his feelings. It was better to just pretend. Pretend he didn't see the looks or the stolen kisses, or didn't hear John quietly sneak into Helen's bedroom while everyone else slept. It was easier just to pretend that everything was normal.

With that, Nikola walked back to the house with his armful of wood. Unceremoniously and without announcing himself, he quietly slunk back into their now makeshift lab and made his way over to the furnace in the corner, placing the wood in the wood bucket and taking the poker to the open flames.

Helen and John were already back at work.

"Nikola! What took you so long?" asked Nigel.

"I, uh, needed some kindling," Nikola lied, keeping his gaze to the floor.

"Oh. And?" Nigel prodded him.

"I couldn't find any, I'll look tomorrow," Nikola tried to shrug nonchalantly but every muscle in his body felt stiff and tensed.

No one seemed to notice, thankfully, not even James.

Nikola went over to the pot of boiling water and with a pair of tongs removed the syringe from inside, picking up his cloth to once again wipe it down thoroughly.

"It's ready," he managed to say.

"Who's going first?" asked Nigel, staring at the empty syringe.

"I am," Helen announced firmly.

Nikola's eyes widened and he tuned to look at her.

"Helen, it might be best if..." James started.

"No. This is my experiment, my project, I will be the first to try it," Helen said defiantly. "I have complete faith."

She smiled warmly but it did very little to ease any of the four men's minds.

This is why he loved her. The most intelligent, brave, and relentlessly beautiful woman the world has ever known.

"Then I'll be the one to give you the injection," stated James.

"No, I will!" John stepped in front of him.

The three men were about to erupt into an argument but Nikola spoke directly at Helen.

"Helen?" Nikola asked, looking past both of them. "This is your experiment. Who do you need?"

Helen met his gaze with an almost imperceptible smile.

"John, you are the strongest, I need you to sit next to me, in case the transformation is too strong for me. Nigel, I need you en point with your darts, in case I should become too violent for John to control. James, you are the most medically trained. I need you close by should I fall unconscious...or worse. And Nikola...Nikola has the steadiest hands of all of you, we'll need that to carefully get the serum into the place it needs to go."

She said this looking straight at him and Nikola felt a warmth burst in his chest at the honor of being the one she trusted most to help her with this experiment.

Nikola nodded, coming over to grab the serum from her to fill the syringe with. His fingers just brushed against hers as they came to wrap around the cool glass of the vial.

Nikola felt the air get trapped in his lungs at the touch, but he quickly let it out and lowered his gaze, taking the vial from her and darting back to his station.

He berated himself inwardly for being so desperate, but it couldn't be helped. He couldn't help the feeling when she touched him.

Helen settled herself in a chair in the centre of the room, and John knelt beside her, grasping her hand. Nikola tried not to twinge with jealousy and kept focused on filling the syringe with the serum.

"I will be with you every step of the way," John said lowly, his eyes never leaving hers.

"Thank you, John," Helen put her free hand on his shoulder.

Nikola sucked in another breath to calm his jealousy and held up the glass syringe to examine it before wiping the needle one last time.

"It's ready," he announced, keeping his voice passive and even.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked James.

"Yah, you don't have to go first, James and I could have a go," suggested Nigel.

Nikola brought over the needle and knelt on the other side of Helen, gently taking her arm and rolling up her sleeve. How he wanted to kiss her porcelain skin just once before he potentially marred it forever. He would've lent down and laved the spot on her arm for the injection with his tongue and soothe her fears with his lips, but he couldn't...more than that she would never let him.

"Thank you gentlemen, but it has to be me," Helen looked at all of them with bright shining eyes. "It is my experiment, I will be the first one to test its merits."

He could feel her gaze shift from the general room to laser focus on him.

"You may proceed, Nikola," her voice was soft and he chanced a glance up at her. She was so close he could almost taste her, and if this experiment failed drastically he'd never have the chance to touch her in his life...but she had specifically chosen him to do this, steadiest hands or not...he was honored to be the man she trusted most. His eyes shifted over to John whom held Helen's other hand tightly, their fingers entwined.

Nikola looked back down to hide his loathing. If this experiment was a blooming success she would no doubt share her triumph in the arms of the man sitting opposite him.

He gently took her arm and rested it on the arm of the chair, his hand gently cupping it underneath to hold it in the position he needed it to be in for him to access the vein properly.

As slowly and precisely as he could he placed the needle on her skin, feeling her jolt slightly at the touch of its cool tip on her warm flesh. He held firm and began pressing the needle into her skin, his thumb coming up to rest on the stopper as he became sure he'd gone deep enough. Helen winced ever so slightly at the intrusion and she squeezed John's hand. Nikola gulped and hesitantly brought the stopper down. This was it...the moment he dreaded...everything lied in the balance...this was the moment he could either help her achieve her greatest triumph or lose her forever. God, she was the bravest woman he'd ever met.

As soon as the blood entered her system she jolted again, letting out a pained moan before her eyes widened in significant pain. Nikola panicked that he had possibly missed the vein or pushed too far. Immediately her body began to convulse and his hand was quick to leave her arm and swipe up to her hand, letting her squeeze it heartily. As soon as the syringe was empty he pulled it out and replaced it with his hand, letting his thump press into the small puncture wound in the apex of her elbow.

Helen let out a pained cry, her eyes screwing shut.

He prayed he didn't screw up, he prayed that this would work.

She squeezed his hand tighter and tighter and writhed ever so slightly before going completely limp. Nikola half thought she'd passed out, and was about to check her pulse when her eyes flew open and she sucked in a breath.

"Oh my," she gasped.

"Helen, are you alright?" asked John.

James was kneeling in front of her, playing the doctor, checking her vitals and eyelids.

"Did it work?" asked Nigel.

"Helen..."

Helen's eyes fluttered between all three of them before coming to rest on Nikola, her lips curling to a smile.

"Something happened to me," she finally said.

"What? What happened?" asked James.

"I...I don't know...but it was something, I felt it..."

"I suspect we might not see any changes for awhile, no doubt it's still working in her system."

"How long?" asked John.

"We'll check in the morning," suggested James.

"So what do we do until then?" asked Nigel.

"We wait," said James.

The whole conversation seemed to happen in the background for Nikola. He was too lost looking into Helen's eyes. They were wide, and almost fearful with a twinkle of excitement. His hand was still entwined with her hand, his thumb was still pressed against her skin now rubbing soothing circles on her forearm.

"Helen...do you need anything?" he asked softly. The boys barely heard him.

"I would...I would like a glass of water," Helen blinked, never taking her gaze off of Nikola. She could feel him looking into her soul and she couldn't avert his gaze.

John immediately launched to his feet.

"I'll get it," he muttered.

"Nikola...would you...help me to my room...I need to rest," she sighed.

"Yes, of course," Nikola nodded, gently standing and, keeping a firm grip on her arm, helping her to stand. She stumbled slightly and he was instantly around her to keep her from falling.

Luckily the room was a short distance away, by the time they reached the door Helen had seemed to regain her footing, eventually walking without Nikola's help.

"Thank you, Nikola, I think I shall make it," Helen patted his hand before gently prying it off her arm.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, quite sure," she nodded.

"We will check in on you periodically to see how you're doing!" James called to her.

Helen waved her hand in acknowledgment of his statement.

John pushed past Nikola to catch Helen, putting the small wooden cup in her hands.

"Thank you, John. Goodnight gentlemen...goodnight Nikola," Helen gave one last piercing look to Nikola before heading into her room and closing the door.

Nikola hadn't realized he was frozen in place until John was standing right beside him.

"Feeling all right, old chap?" John's low timber echoed through his brain and he forced his eyes away from the bedroom door.

"Yes, just tired," Nikola shrugged. "I think I will retire as well."

"I think that may be best for all of us, you three go, get some sleep, I'll keep first watch, John will take second, Nigel third and Nikola last," ordered James in his typical brotherly fashion.

Nikola felt his heart sink. He would stand there all night if he must, in case she needed him.

"Nikola," he heard John beside him. "Go to bed."

He couldn't tell if that was friendly advice or a warning. It was honestly hard to tell with John's low, rumbly voice.

Nikola nodded, and finally pulled himself away from Helen's bedroom door. He chanced a look at the three of them and his throat went dry at their concerned gazes. He was acting out of it, he knew he was, but he couldn't help it, Helen could die in the middle of the night, or transform into some unrecognizable creature, or become violent...or need him and he wanted to be there for her at any time but he couldn't exactly voice these fears and desires to the group. Not when John was already her suitor and James would no doubt take John's side in the matter; he always did.

Nikola bit the inside of his cheek and nodded, quickly darting off to his room to avoid them. Maybe sleep wasn't such a bad idea.

He reached his bedroom and loosened his cravat, nearly ripping it off his neck.

He felt like he was on fire, and not in a good way.

He went over to the basin and splashed some water on his face then wiped both his hands on the towel by the side of the basin.

He needed to calm down, lest he give himself away.

Something happened between him and Helen, he felt it, he knew she felt it, she had practically told him so with her eyes. What was it?

Nikola shucked off his waistcoat and vest and kicked off his shoes before trying to lie comfortably in the bed. He focused on his breathing and stared up at the ceiling.

Maybe he was just kidding himself...maybe he just wanted there to be something between him and Helen. Lord knows he wanted there to be something between them.

He let out a long deep breath and closed his eyes. Everything would be better in the morning.

~~~~Author's Notes~~~~

Already with the feels! Ahh! *clutches heart*


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Nikola's sleep was short and fitful; he kept turning over in his sleep, comfort not coming to him. He stilled in the bed for a moment before sensing a presence and opening his eyes.

There she was; he nearly gasped.

Helen sat serenely at the foot of his bed, hands on her lap and moonlight on her face.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" she asked, her voice soft.

"N-no," his voice was caught in his throat and he coughed to clear it.

"I couldn't sleep," Helen whispered. "I kept thinking about you."

Nikola gulped slightly and sat up on his elbows to look at her better.

"I couldn't sleep very well either," he confessed.

"Something happened tonight Nikki, something I can't explain," she shifted closer to him.

"Me neither...I felt it too," he admitted.

"It was something...I've never felt before," she placed her hands on his shoulders and Nikola's mouth went dry again. "Not even with John."

"I..."

"I know you know, Nikki, I saw you watching us tonight...like a voyeur," she teased.

"I swear Helen, I..."

"Shhh," she cut him off. "I don't mind. In fact..."

Helen raised the skirts of her nightgown and lifted her long gorgeous leg over his waist to rest on the other side of his body so that she was hovering above him before she slowly lowered herself to straddle his hips

"...I find it rather intriguing," she smirked deviously.

Nikola gasped feeling her this close to him.

Her hands rested on his chest.

"I saw the look in your eyes, Nikki," she continued to smile. "I know you desire me as more than a friend and colleague...and I like being desired."

Her hands slid over to the buttons on his shirt.

Everything about this was so surreal; Nikola could barely process it all.

Before he could comprehend Helen leant down and kissed him. Without thinking his hands came to her sides and he was instantly kissing her back, savoring the sweet taste of her lips as they slid against his. He involuntarily jerked his hips as he felt Helen's hand slide under his shirt and against the skin of his chest.

She broke the kiss and smiled down at him.

"Someone's eager," she teased.

Nikola groaned as she continued rubbing his skin.

"Helen..." he moaned, trying to gain some sort of sanity before he let this get out of control.

"Nikola, please," her voice changed from teasing to surprisingly sincere. "Just let me do this. We can talk about it later."

Nikola met her eyes and couldn't help the desperate whimper that escaped his mouth.

Helen shifted back slightly to remove the catches on his pants.

He couldn't believe what was happening right now.

"What about John?" the words escaped before he could reign themselves in.

Helen stopped and met his gaze again. She broke into a crooked smile before reaching in the front of her gown and producing the lovely engraved locket John had given her earlier.

"John is asleep," she whispered. "And Nigel is sleeping on the couch."

Nikola looked over to the empty side of the bed.

Helen leaned over and dropped the silver locket on the nightstand.

"Nothing else matters at this point," she leant down and kissed him once again and he couldn't help but wrap his arms around her.

Helen pulled away from him and sat up, her hands coming up to the laces down the front of her nightgown. Nikola's eyes widened and darted from her eyes to her mouth to where her hands were. He gulped again, and slid his hands carefully from her waist down to her knees, slipping underneath the light fabric and cupping the soft skin.

Helen finished with the laces and grabbed Nikola's head hungrily pulling him up to her in a ferocious kiss.

God, this was so inappropriate, Nikola couldn't even fathom what would happen if they got caught...and at this moment he didn't have the capacity to care, his mind was on fire having Helen this close and rubbing against him. It was...it was...it was...

Gone.

Nikola's eyes opened slowly to the sun blinking through his window. It was morning, he was still fully clothed, and Nigel was snoring lightly beside him.

Aside from the rather painful annoyance between his legs, nothing had changed.

He groaned, rubbing his eyes. He needed to shave, piss, and probably change his shirt. With a huff he got up and dragged himself over to the door to the Jon. It was an adjoining bathroom that looked like the owners had found the ugliest wallpaper they could find to cover up a murder scene. It was atrocious...but clean, as far as he could tell.

After he did his business he got out his shaving kit, quickly, and with a deft hand, shaved the shadow beginning to form on his cheeks and trimmed his mustache.

He was clean and changed in about twenty minutes.

He walked out into the living room. It was early; everyone else was still sleeping except for one.

She was curled by the furnace reading a book, chewing one of her fingernails as she read.

Nikola's breath caught in his throat.

Her hair was down in long beautiful curls, and she was wearing a light blue skirt with a thin petticoat underneath, her shoes were off and she had her feet tucked underneath her. She had a thin white chemise and blouse with a light brown vest overtop. Her thumb and forefinger played with the chain around her neck and Nikola felt his heart sink.

"Good morning," he said, breaking the warm silence in the room.

Helen started and looked up, her face breaking out into a bright smile.

"Nikola," she greeted warmly.

"How are you feeling?" he came to sit next to her.

"Hmm? Oh...uh, nothing yet," Helen shrugged. "I feel...I feel normal honestly."

"Is it a failure then?" Nikola asked.

"No...I'm not dead am I?" she meant it teasingly but Nikola couldn't help the twinge in his stomach at the thought.

"So..."

"I think we should try again...with one of you guys, maybe John, or Nigel, see if we get a different result, now that we know that it won't kill any of us," she teased.

"How about me?" Nikola asked. "What if we tried it on me?"

Helen opened her mouth to say something then closed it, shaking her head.

"No. Not yet, I mean. We still need your steady hands," she took his hands gently. "Steadiest ones I know." She flipped them palm up and traced her fingers down them.

In light of the dream Nikola had during the night, the touches were affecting him more than they should.

He grasped her fingers to stop their feather light scratching across his nerves.

"All right, when shall we continue?" he asked.

"Tonight, I think," Helen decided.

Nikola nodded and caught Helen's gaze again...man he could swim in those cerulean orbs.

"Morning," James entered, half-dressed and unkempt. He trudged all the way to the kitchen.

"Tea's on," Helen called to him, sharing a smile with Nikola.

" Marvelous," James muttered.

" Rough night?" Nikola asked teasingly.

"Hmm? Oh...yeah, John, uh, snores," James came over with his cup and flopped into the rocking chair across from them.

Nikola and Helen tried not to laugh at his state.

"Morning chaps!" Nigel walked in happily. "Tea?"

They nodded, and he hopped off to the kitchen with a skip in his step.

James looked at him disdainfully.

"How does he do that?" he growled.

"He's an early bird," Helen grinned.

John stumbled in looking as grumpy as James did. He came right up to James and stole the cup straight from his hand and took a generous sip of it.

"Hey! Get your own!" James scowled.

Helen laughed.

Nigel bounced back in.

"Oh, morning John, want a cup? Take this one!" he smiled and handed John the cup and hopped back into the kitchen.

"I hate him," muttered John.

This time both Helen and Nikola couldn't contain their laughter.

_**~~~~Later~~~~**_

The group decided that this day was a perfect day to take the afternoon off.

That morning they had all decided to continue the experiments tonight since they it proved to be, at least, non-fatal. So, in preparation for their late night workings the boys decided to take Helen on a relaxing trip down to the riverbanks.

John and Nigel spent the morning carving fishing rods out of long branches, twine, and some bits of twisted metal found in the workshed. There weren't any worms so they took some stale bread as bait and packed a picnic lunch and trekked the long sunny path down to the bank.

John and James immediately made a bet for who could catch the biggest fish, and Nigel had joined in for sport. Nikola sat with Helen on the blanket underneath a shady elm, and let her read to him from the book she had brought with her.

There was cheese, and some sausage and biscuits to eat and Nikola brought some wine for himself to drink...didn't stop Helen from casually reaching over and taking his glass straight from his hand and having a sip for herself.

"Nikola? You wanna have a go?" asked Nigel for the third time.

"My mind has not changed since the last time you asked," Nikola muttered.

"Aww come on, you'd love it," Nigel prodded.

"I don't want to smell like fish for the rest of the day, I'm in much better company over here," Nikola nudged Helen's arm with his head and she shoved him playfully.

"Honestly, Nikola, stop distracting me," Helen growled.

Nikola smirked. She was trying to hide it from the others but the dear Dr. Helen Magnus had a secret love for trashy novels. She went so far as to put false covers on them to hide their appearance so she could read them out in the open. Nikola was the only one who knew, because he had dared her to read one aloud to him once in her father's library and she had admitted her fondness for them. Since then, Nikola had always enjoyed listening to her read sections of the novels to him. She would read up until the parts got steamy and then trail off, either by being too engrossed in the subject matter or too shy to have one of the others come by and hear her.

Nikola savored her blushes and bitten lower lip. He could watch her read all day, and not even pay attention to the words.

"Catch anything yet?" asked James.

"Not even a nibble," sighed John.

"Probably should've checked that there was actual fish before you know...fishing," teased Nikola.

John and James sneered at him.

Nikola leant over and rested his head on Helen's shoulder, peering at the words.

"I like this part," he whispered. "When Elizabeth confesses her love to Julian."

Helen shushed him, peering over at John briefly, before shuffling her arm so that Nikola was forced to sit up.

"It's a good scene," Helen nodded, keeping her voice low.

"It's a shame she goes back to her fiancé...what's his name?"

"Thomas," Helen answered.

"Right," Nikola nodded. "It's...it's a good book, well-written."

Nikola looked away shuffling on to his elbows. He cursed himself inwardly for talking like that. Helen could probably read him like the book she had in her hands and know that he had seen what had transpired between her and John last night, or see the dream he had in his eyes; his wanton, ungentlemanly desire for her. Then she'd ask him to leave, forever.

"Ah ha!" cried James suddenly. "Got you, you bastard!"

James was pulling hard on his rod, his heels digging into the muddy bank as he struggled to pull up his catch. Suddenly he lurched forward dramatically and both Nigel and John dropped their rods to grab their friend around the middle. Nikola, hearing Helen gasp immediately stood up and went to help.

"Don't let him fall in!" cried Nigel.

"The current is too strong for him," agreed John.

James kept being pushed forward.

"Damn, he's strong!" James cried.

The water at this edge of the river was deeper and less rockier than some of its other places. Nikola could easily swim across, but James was like a lead rock when it came to swimming, even in the bathtub. James didn't swim, he sank.

"Let go, Jim!" Nigel shouted.

"I've almost got him," James said determinedly.

"He's almost got you, there's a difference!" Nikola cried, trying with all his might to pull the three men back further on to the bank.

"James! Just let it go!" Helen cried.

"One more tug and..."

The twine on James rod snapped and all three men fell forward, losing their grip on James. Nigel and John tumbled forward into the grass and Nikola fell on top of them while James was pushed off the ledge into the water.

"James!" Helen cried.

Nikola immediately pushed himself off of John and Nigel on to his feet.

He could see James bobbing like a child in the water.

"Nikola, help him!" Helen shouted and Nikola growled in the back of his throat, quickly removing his jacket, vest, cravat, and shoes and diving effortlessly into the water.

He reached James with a couple of powerful strokes and immediately grabbed him by the waist.

James spluttered and hacked.

With a bit of struggle Nikola managed to drag him back to the bank and hoist him on to shore with the help of John and Nigel.

James coughed the water out of his lungs and shook his head to get the water out of his ear.

It was only in this moment when Nikola noticed James was still holding his fishing rod.

John laughed.

"James, you are one stubborn bastard!" Nigel and John shared a hearty laugh while Helen draped the blanket over him. Nikola stood at the bank, watching as they fawned over James who was still slightly bewildered by the fact that he had almost drowned himself.

Nikola shook out the water from his fully drenched shirt and trousers. He went over to his pile of clothes and scooped them up and began silently trudging up the path not even bothering to say a word to the group.

Helen watched Nikola leave with his tell-tale silence...he was not happy with this turn of events, or probably for not being acknowledged for his contribution. If there was one thing Nikola hated, it was not getting the recognition he deserved, even if it was just a simple thank you.

"You go after him," said Nigel, noticing Nikola leave too. "We'll get this fish home soon."

James glared at him.

"We'd be eating fish if my line hadn't broke," he huffed.

"I'll see you guys when you get up there," Helen smiled warmly and went to retrieve the picnic basket, then ran to catch up with Nikola. Luckily, his wet trousers were making it hard for him to move anywhere quickly.

He had apparently stopped briefly to put his shoes on, but he still carried his jacket and cravat begrudgingly up the path, ringing out the corners of his wet shirt every once in a while.

"Nikola!" Helen called, picking up her skirts so that she could catch him. She was at his side in a moment. "Thank you, Nikola, for what you did back there."

Nikola was expressionless.

"You saved James' life," Helen continued.

"You asked me to," Nikola turned and kept walking.

"You still did it," Helen followed after. "You were very brave."

"I am a very adept swimmer, I was confident I could do it," Nikola shrugged.

Helen grabbed his hand and pulled him to her. Without warning she leant up and kissed his cheek, melting away whatever mood he was just in.

"Come on, let me help you get out of those wet clothes."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The afternoon took a turn for the unexpected. Nikola had half thought he'd have to spend the entire day playing cricket with the boys outside, or reading by himself, but no, he was with Helen.

Ok, not as he would like, but close enough to fuel his fantasies with new material.

Helen had helped peel off his wet shirt and sticky trousers, leaving him almost shivering in his undershirt and shorts. With something pertaining to a magical gift she found the fluffiest towel in the linen closet and draped it over his head before rubbing it wildly to let the towel absorb all the water from his hair. Then, she peeled off his undershirt and wrapped the towel around his waist, pressing her hands against his chest and sides. Nikola closed his eyes and just enjoyed the special treatment she was affording him, blast how inappropriate it was.

Helen finally wrapped the towel around his waist and led him to his bed. His heart quickened ever so slightly.

"Sit down," she ordered and he did so without question.

Helen went over to his suitcase and grabbed his grooming kit, pulling out his hair oil and comb.

She crawled behind him on the bed, situating him between her knees so that she could kneel above him and comb his hair back into its proper place. She was the only person who could do this the right way besides him.

The comb scraped against his scalp gently as Helen rested a hand on his bare shoulder to counter balance.

They continued like this in silence, she too concentrated on her work to talk, and he too scared to break the wonderful moment by saying the wrong thing.

Instead he just closed his eyes and imagined it was her nails scraping against his scalp after just having made love. Lying in his bed, arms still around him, their bodies creating a warm bubble of heat in the mid-afternoon haze. It was a simple fantasy, just to open his eyes and see her lying there beside him, sleeping peacefully...or smiling wickedly before ducking under the covers and...

He yelped slightly as Helen caught a knot in his hair with the comb.

"Sorry," Helen muttered.

"It's alright," he shrugged.

Helen smoothed down the last of his hair before wrapping her arms around him in a tender hug and kissing the back of his head softly.

"There," she sighed. "All better."

He wanted to laugh, she said the same thing after patching any one of them up whenever they managed to hurt themselves, especially when they require stitches which he did most of the time. Some of his best scars were left with the best memories. He looked down at his arm. There were two he could see already that brought a smile to his lips.

"Get changed, I'm going to put these out to dry," Helen picked up his pile of wet clothes. "I'll also put some tea on."

Nikola nodded, still not confident to say anything.

"Come out when you're ready," she smiled and then left.

Nikola let out a long, ragged breath and flopped back on to the bed. She was torturing him, he didn't know if she knew she was, but she was. After this, how was he going to be able to hide his desire? He was sure that everyone would be able to tell just by looking at him that he loved her with every fiber of his being.

He heard the boys enter the cabin, laughing and singing like drunken louts. He heard Helen laugh as well and he felt a twinge of envy in his gut.

He stepped out of his bedroom fully clothed and went to the living room.

"Nikola!" James greeted with a big smile. "My hero!"

"It was nothing," Nikola said curtly.

"Nothing but my life, I could've drowned chasing after that fish and you could've let me, but you dove in after me," James took Nikola's hand. "Thank you, friend, I should've said as much on the bank."

Nikola nodded and extricated his hand from James' grip.

"Come on James, lets get you dried off," sighed John.

Nikola instinctually pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his hand with it.

"Seems like its soup again tonight," sighed Nigel.

"Yes," Nikola nodded. "Could be worse though...James could've caught that fish...we would've never heard the end of it."

Nigel laughed.

_**~~~~Later~~~~**_

The experiment was going well so far. James had volunteered first to be the next one to take the injection, Nigel after him, and John after him.

They all had similar reactions to Helen, with similar results.

All three of them sat on the couch holding their arms bent to put pressure on the puncture wound.

Helen was checking the vitals on all of them. They were all stable and functioning, if a bit disappointed.

She looked over to Nikola.

"I guess it's your turn," Helen sighed. He could see it in her eyes that she was suspecting what they all refused to say. They had failed. But they had one more test subject to go.

Nikola removed his jacket and rolled up his shirtsleeve then sat on the chair.

All three men tried to stand up to help but immediately found themselves getting rather light-headed.

Helen ignored them and their groans as she prepped the serum.

Nikola felt unexpectedly nervous. He hoped, no, prayed that it would work on him; that whatever Helen hoped the serum would do would happen with him. He wanted it so badly he was scared...scared to see that look of disappointment on Helen's face when he was just his plain normal self.

Helen turned to him with that same worry on her face. She wanted it to work too; he could feel it.

Helen knelt beside him and took his arm.

"I'm giving you a little extra," she whispered to him.

Nikola nodded wordlessly.

His eyes trailed down from her eyes to her hands, watching as the cool tip of the needle just touched his skin. Helen's hands weren't quite as steady as his but they were close. He felt the needle push in and a sudden rush of pain and fire, it coursed through him rapidly and then washed over him like a wave of cold water. His eyes rolled back in his skull and he could just hear Helen calling out to him before he faded into black.

"Nikola!" Helen cried.

All three of the guys jumped to their feet and were at her side momentarily. Nikola was convulsing and shaking uncontrollably.

"What's happening to him?" asked Nigel.

"Get him on to the floor, stretch him out," ordered James.

John hooked his hands under the Serbian's arms and hoisted him off the chair, James and Nigel took one of his legs and with a bit of effort they got him stretched out on the floor.

"John, hold him down," ordered James.

John pressed his hands into Nikola's shoulders.

"Nigel, you take his legs," Nigel nodded and pinned down the legs as best he could.

James tried to hold down Nikola's middle as best he could, but the best they could do was ride it out. A minute later the convulsions died down and Nikola came to rest.

James quickly checked his pulse and vitals.

"He's okay, " James sighed in relief. "He's breathing."

All of them let out a deep breath.

"We should get him to a bed, someplace comfortable, so he can sleep it off," James suggested, pulling the sodden fabric out of Nikola's mouth and tossing it away.

John and Nigel nodded, wordlessly picking him up and carrying him to the bedroom.

"Nigel, you'll take my room tonight," Helen finally spoke up.

"Uh, I will?" Nigel looked at her quizzically.

"Yes, I'll stay up with Nikola, make sure he doesn't go into another fit," Helen said, her previous trance completely gone.

"Helen, I..."

"No, James! This is my experiment! He is my responsibility! End of discussion."

James threw his hands up in defeat. He knew Helen well enough to know she was adamant and arguing with her would be futile at this point.

Helen picked up a cloth and wetted it in the basin in Nikola's room as the boys carefully situated Nikola on the bed.

"Thank you, gentlemen, I can take it from here," she pushed through l them to kneel at Nikola's side, placing the cloth on Nikola's forehead.

"Helen..." John started but the words died as Helen turned her head sharply to face him. "I-I'll get you a chair...so you're comfortable."

John quickly darted out of the room, avoiding her penetrating look.

Helen continued to tend to Nikola.

"I'm sorry Nikki," she whispered to him. "Please, be okay."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

The cabin was still in the dead hours of the night. The trees twisted in the moonlight as if they were trying to catch it and steal it for their own. A lone wolf could be heard in the distance, and the sweet sound of crickets in the distance created a haunting ambiance through the hall of the empty cabin.

He could smell her, it pervaded every inch of the cabin, he could sense we touch along the walls and across the floor, to her bedroom.

He needed her.

With the most silent, deft feet, he stalked through the living room, breathing in her scent.

It inflamed him with an insatiable desire and he felt more than heard a low rumble bubble up from his chest.

She was sleeping when he entered her bedroom, the moon from her window draping over her frame like a second blanket, highlighting her serene features as they slumbered. Another scent, fresh and heady, warm and inviting. The scent of unconscious desire, wafted from her as she shifted in her sleep.

What was she dreaming of?

He loomed over her like a shadow, watching her face as she lowly mumbled an incoherent sound in response to her dreams. He felt her heat, like a stranger, his skin prickled at it. He hadn't realized he was cold...well, colder than before. Yet he was sweating, perspiring, and feeling all together too hot to be cold, he felt on fire. Hot to touch, with flaming footsteps behind him, yet she even more so.

He placed a hand on her scalding arm carefully and coiled his long, taloned fingers around her arm, holding her almost affectionately before ripping her out of her peaceful sleep with a violent tug.

She shrieked but he covered her mouth with his free hand and shoved her into the shadows. He was comfortable there, they were both safe there.

He leaned down and soothed her trembling shoulders with a gentle kiss, a perfect juxtaposition to the violence he displayed before.

"Nikola?" her voice wavered, fear evident in her tone.

He hissed and spun her towards him and pressed her against the wall, pinning her there, raising his taloned hand to turn her head to expose her neck. The porcelain prize of his midnight hunt. With a mangled cry he bit into the chord of her neck, his claws slashing against her in a wave of anger and longing. _A longing to be under her skin..._

Nikola jolted awake. He was in his bed, once again, swimming in sweat-drenched sheets. They tangled around his ankles and tugged at his clothing, making him feel strangled.

He stopped struggling once he realized he was himself. Not the thing he'd been in his nightmare.

It was late, the moon had just risen as far as he could tell, which did not make sense since it had been late evening the last time he remembered. The house was eerily quiet, it felt trapped, like space and time had frozen. Is this what the blood did to you?

He unwrapped himself from his bedding and washed his face in the basin and felt at least a days growth of stubble across his cheek. It was scratchy. The small mirror he'd hung up for shaving reflected as much. His hair was stringy and damp, his clothing was rumpled and left marks on his skin where he'd obviously slept on it funny. He looked pale, felt a bit dehydrated, and he had large egregious bags under his eyes. What had happened? Did he catch a flu? Have an adverse reaction to the injection? Was it something he ate?

He nimbly removed his soiled clothing and changed into a fresh shirt and trousers, not bothering to attire a complete suit but enough so he at least didn't feel so grubby. He ran some water through his hair and combed it down into some semblance of order.

When he stepped out of his bedroom, barefoot, and clean-shaven, he could hear the crackling of the fireplace in the living room, and the soft clattering of a tea cup on its saucer. He walked towards the warm light as if he was a cold-blooded animal who'd never felt warmth.

His four comrades were sitting quietly. James was reading, Nigel was fiddling with something and John sat close to Helen drinking a brandy. Helen was off, away with her thoughts, looking into the flames with distant eyes.

Nikola coughed to announce his presence and all four stopped in their quiet ministrations and looked up in utter amazement.

"Nikola!" Helen was the first to leap to her feet.

Her hands were at his face before he had time to react, checking his temperature. Her hands felt cool agains his skin but he didn't say anything.

"H-how long have I been asleep?" he murmured quietly.

"About a day," James interrupted, coming to assist Helen in Nikola's check up.

"What happened?" Nikola asked.

"We...we don't know, how do you feel?" asked Helen.

"Like rubber...a little hungry," he shrugged.

"Nigel," Helen snapped her fingers and he immediately jumped to his feet and ran to the kitchen to fetch Nikola something to eat.

"Here, sit down," Helen tried to pull him to the settee but Nikola resisted.

"I'd rather stand," he said firmly.

"Nikola, do you feel any...differently?" James asked carefully.

Nikola's mind flashed to the bizarre nightmare he'd had just before waking up.

"I...I don't think so," Nikola subconsciously moved and shuffled his limbs as if trying to figure out for himself if anything felt different, but aside from being grossly fatigued and immobile his body felt the same, it was still his. He was the same man he was before the injection. His heart sank a little...did that mean he had failed Helen as well?

The rest of the evening moved in a blur as they fed Nikola a hearty stew of meat and potatoes with crusty bread and a long draught of wine. His stomach had never been so happy to see food in it in his life, especially the wine.

After getting his strength back he was quickly subjected to a series of strange tests created by Helen and James to find if he had indeed changed or not. Sadly, the results were boringly normal and unsatisfactory.

After letting Helen burn off her disappointment at the failed experiment they decided to make the best of what was left of their trip and plan out their activities for the coming few days. Nikola sat on the floor with his legs stretched out, nursing his second glass of wine and resting his head against Helen's thigh. She sat very unladylike on the couch drinking a brandy and rifling through her extensive notes on the blood to be doubly sure she hadn't missed anything.

Nikola, as much as he could say, was content just like this. It was the affectionate cat in him that secretly loved the way Helen would occasionally graze her fingertips over his scalp and twirl his hair gently. It made him feel relaxed and loved.

John entered from one of the bedrooms carrying the book he had found their first evening here. It was now completely unbound.

The word to best describe this book was grotesque. The leather was course and of a sickly pallor; it was tightly stretched over the binding and formed into what looked like a hideous face screaming in agony. Helen tensed at seeing the book and Nikola couldn't help but feel the need to pull out his handkerchief.

He was flipping artlessly through the ancient pages, careful to separate them and examine each page individually. He took his seat by Helen, casting a quick glance over at the hand Helen was still running through Nikola's hair. The look flashed but quickly dissolved under its curiosity towards the book.

"Is that the book you found in the cellar?" asked Nikola, looking over at the book with a slight grimace.

"Indeed it is," John nodded.

"Oh John! Must you parade around with that thing? It makes my teeth itch," Helen looked up from her notes and sneered at it.

"It is rather disturbing," John said casually, lifting up the cover to examine the face formed at the front. "Even more so the contents."

He showed her the pages of the book. Helen looked away, perturbed.

"I think this book was used for some kind of pagan or religious ritual. Nikola would know right?" John teased, thrusting the book at Nikola's face.

Nikola pushed it away from him, causing Helen's hand to leave his head where he had previously enjoyed it being.

"My father's a priest, not a witch doctor," Nikola sneered.

"In all your childhood he never performed any mysterious baptisms in the graveyard on a full moon," John continued to mock.

"No, he was a member of the Orthodox Church, his beliefs included extensive prayer, fasting, and penitent work for the people in neighboring villages. The only ritual he partook in was the Passover Meal and his daily ritual of bruising his knees on the hardwood floor. No baptisms, no holy water, no bloodletting. He was pious and god-fearing, not fanatical." Nikola sneered and took a sip from his wine, mumbling a curse under his breath.

James came up behind the settee to gaze at the pages of the book.

"Interesting language," James pointed out, redirecting the conversation.

"I thought it might be Latin," John suggested.

"No...though there are similarities in the form," John handed the book to James so he could examine it further. "Most of its unreadable."

James flipped through some of the pages before coming to rest on a picture. The image disturbed him, as was the writing scrawled across the pages in black ink as opposed to the ominous blood red the book contained. "Do not read!" the words were scratched all over the page. "Do not speak the words aloud!"

James winced slightly then turned the page.

"What does it say?" asked John.

Nigel was now watching with a piqued interest, even Helen was pretending not to notice while keeping an ear open. Nikola watched with careful eyes as his friend poured over the words. "It's not Latin...as far as I can tell, but if its vowels and structure is similar to it then..."

James trailed off, his brilliant brain peeling back the layers of mystery surrounding the words in the book.

"It appears that this incantation is said to awaken an evil that will posses the body of man and cause chaos," James said after a moment.

Nikola felt his body tense. The memory of his dream coming back, like a waft of smoke to coil around his brain. He felt a prickling begin at the base of his neck.

"Read it," John encouraged excitedly.

"I don't think that's wise," piped up Nigel.

"Indeed," James agreed.

"Oh, come on. You can't possibly believe that reading six or seven little words is going to unleash some unspeakable Hell upon us. I know we see a lot of things that expand the realm of possibility but even so, that is quite the stretch. Come on, James, read it!"

James' hand twitched uncomfortably.

Nikola felt a feeling of wariness creep into his gut.

"John, I think we should put the book away," he said softly.

"What? In case papa should find out and damn you out of heaven?" John sneered.

"John, please," Helen pleaded, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Enough."

John sucked in a contemptible breath.

"Fine, then I'll read it," he stole the book from James' hands. "Can't be hard."

He examined the words for a moment.

"Kanda," he said after a moment and Nikola instantly felt a knot form in his gut. "Estradta."

Nikola's mind flashed with images, blood-soaked, horror-filled images. With claws and sharp teeth, a deep rumbling, inhuman snarl and blood curdling screams. Her screams...her blood.

"Mantos...Bemilas," John continued.

Nikola's hand tightened around the neck of his wine glass as the images flashed faster and more intensely. He could feel a bead of sweat slide down his face and his hands were starting to shake.

"Nat..."

"John, please," Nikola begged, his voice shaky.

"Nos vermos," John ignored him.

"John!" Helen tried to stop him, seeing how much it was disturbing Nikola.

"Kanda...Mantos...Kanda!"

"NOO!" Nikola howled, the glass in his hand shattering and slicing into his hand.

"Nikola!" Helen reached over and touched his shoulder. He was shaking almost violently.

John chuckled slightly.

"What's wrong, Nikola? Spooked?"

"Enough, John!" Helen barked. "Put that book away or so help me..."

Helen didn't finish her sentence as Nikola sprung away, immediately rushing over to the window as if spotting something in the forest.

"Nikola, what's wrong?" asked James.

"You've gone pale all of the sudden," added Nigel.

Nikola spun around towards them.

"I...I want to go. Now. I want to leave," he said in a panic. Blood was dripping from his palm on to the floor.

"Nikola," Helen stood up coming over to him.

"No, I want to leave, I want to leave this place immediately," Nikola pushed past her to run to his room. "We shouldn't be here...we should never have come!"

"Nikola?" The group followed after him. They'd never seen him in such a state.

He ran to his room and began throwing his clothes into his suitcase.

"Nikola, the carriage won't be back for a week, we can't leave," Helen said, sympathetically.

"I'll walk!" Nikola said with determination. "Can't be that far to the small farming village we passed on the way here. A days walk. We can make it if we pack lightly."

"Nikola, that's insane," James sighed.

"Anywhere is better than here!" Nikola threw his shaving kit into his bag. "Please, let's go," he pleaded with them.

"Look, Nikola, John is sorry about the cracks about your family...if this is about the book we'll put it away, for good, right John?" James said diplomatically.

Nikola groaned.

"No, it's...just please, we need to leave this place, it's not safe, it's not..." Nikola trailed off as Helen stepped forward and took his uninjured hand in hers.

"Nikola," she said calmly. "Sit down," she instructed. He did as he was told, sitting on the edge of the bed, averting their concerned gazes. How could he explain how he was feeling? He didn't even understand it himself.

"Nikola, please," Helen knelt by him. "Stay one more night, if you still feel the same tomorrow then we'll go."

Nikola began to shake his head fearfully but Helen grasped it in her hands. Cupping his cheeks, she looked into his eyes.

"Nothing bad is going to happen to you," Helen said sincerely.

"It's not myself I'm worried about," Nikola whispered, matching her gaze. "It's you...all of you, I mean."

Helen smiled warmly.

"Rest, Nikola, you've had a very trying day," she gently encouraged him to lie back and lean against the headboard of his bed. She took his bleeding hand in hers and ripped a strip of linen off the cloth by the basin.

She gently cleaned and bandaged his wound. Nikola had his eyes focused on her the entire time, watching her every move with a profound awe.

James, John and Nigel left Helen to her nurturing of Nikola, John only slightly lingering. They went back to the living room and James picked up the book.

"John, put this back where you found it and leave it there," he instructed.

"What? For upsetting the baby?" scoffed John.

"For upsetting all of us. Not just Nikola. This book has left us all feeling slightly perturbed, so put it away, I'm asking this as your friend," James said sternly. "And you don't have to provoke him."

John sighed at that.

"Harmless jibbing, that's all it was, I can't help it that Nikola gets his feathers ruffled over everything," John shrugged.

"I understand John, but to insinuate that his parents were..."

"I meant it as a joke, nothing more!"

"It was in poor taste, despite your intentions," James sighed, pouring a glass of brandy for himself.

"Fine, I'll behave," shrugged John.

"That's all we ask," James nodded his head slightly.

"I wonder if its a side effect from the blood," Nigel said suddenly, catching the two men off guard.

"What is?" James asked.

"Nikola's reaction. Nikola has never been freaked out by anything, not like that. He hates dirt and all but it doesn't physically terrify him, he never panics over his aversions...I'm wondering if he's sensing something he does not know how to explain. Maybe it's a sign," Nigel mused out loud. Sometimes the short cockney could make some truly astute observations. John and James both shared a look at the thought.

Nikola didn't feel well at all, it was like a ball of lead was forming in the pit of his stomach. Helen managed to bandage his hand and clean the glass from it. She was cleaning off her tools in the basin. Nikola sat on his bed, watching her, feeling hot, itchy, and all together uncomfortable in his own skin.

Helen dumped the basin out the window and the water landed in the grass with a dull splash. She headed to the door to refill the basin from the pump outside.

"Helen, wait!" Nikola called before she could leave.

Helen paused and spun around to face him.

"What is it?" she asked.

Nikola bit his lip as he searched for the words he wanted to say.

"Nothing...nothing, it's nothing," he dismissed her, averting her gaze.

Helen eyes him for a moment then began to leave again.

"Wait! Please...stay," Nikola blurted out. So much insecurity was unusual in the Serbian genius, Nikola was nothing if not headstrong.

"I'll be right back," Helen tried to sound calm and collected, hoping that would help ease his fears.

"I mean tonight...stay here, with me...tonight," Nikola muttered, his eyes pleading. Helen did not quite understand what he was asking or why he was asking, but she saw something...a fear, an unquenchable, unrelenting demon.

She went up to him and kissed his forehead.

"I will stay here for as long as you like," she smiled softly and smoothed down a tuft of his hair. "At least till you fall asleep."

"No!"Nikola frantically grabbed her arm. "No, you must stay here, there's...there's something out there," he whispered.

"What Nikola? What is out there? What has gotten you so freaked out?" Helen saw the look in his eyes again. She'd never seen him like this.

"I-I don't know..." He sighed. "I just...I have to make sure you're safe."

"I'll stay, Nikola, I promise," Helen nodded her head. To prove her point she sat down and wrapped her arms around Nikola, gently cradling him. Sometimes he reminded her of a child. Nikola quickly squeezed her tightly, as if clinging to her for dear life and Helen could do nothing but gently rock him and whisper soft encouragements into his ear.

Something was definitely wrong with her dearest friend, and to be honest, it was terrifying her. If staying up with him would ease his fears until morning then that's what she would have to do.

~~~~Author's Notes~~~~

Mahaha! Something wicked this way comes!


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

It took the better part of an hour to get Nikola to calm down enough to rest. Helen had waited another hour to make sure he was fully asleep before making her escape with the empty basin.

James and Nigel had gone to bed, having felt the exhaustion of the evening and drinking enough brandies to soften their minds for slumber. John stayed up, keeping the fire going and chopping more firewood periodically.

He was sitting by the fire when Helen stepped out of Nikola's room. John immediately came to stand on his feet the moment he saw her.

Helen started slightly, not initially seeing him, then she relaxed and gave him a glare that spoke volumes as to how she felt about his behavior tonight.

"Helen..."

She walked right by him and placed the basin on the windowsill by the front door.

"Helen, I'm sorry," John sighed.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Helen growled.

"I know, I was out of line..."

"Out of line? John, you were blatantly trying to provoke him," Helen sighed. "Hasn't he been through enough?"

"Why do you coddle him so much?" growled John.

"I do not coddle him!"

"Yes you do! You are always bending over backwards to make sure he's happy!" barked John. "Oh Nikola, please, let me do whatever you want! Oh!"

Helen stiffened at his mocking tones.

"John, you know I am trying to make this an enjoyable experience for all of us, yes it means plying Nikola a little, but you have taken it upon yourself to outdo my efforts. Nikola is honestly terrified about something...out there, and you and that stupid book drove him to it!"

Helen shoved past him to march outside with the basin to wash and refill it at the water pump.

She angrily shoved the basin under the spout and cranked the handle, letting all her frustration out on the ironworks.

Three pumps had sustained her tempers, now leaving her with a small breeze of irritability. She bent to pick up the basin, her grip slipping slightly and the liquid sloshed on to her hand. She cursed, pulling out a handkerchief to clean it off. She paused when she saw that the liquid was darker than water, it almost looked like ink, yet not quite like ink, it was...it was blood. She looked down at the basin and saw that the whole thing was filled with deep red blood. She let out a shriek.

"Helen!" John came running out of the cabin instantly, having heard her scream.

She was frantically wiping off her hand. She had kicked the basin over in her panic.

"Helen, what's wrong?" asked John, grabbing her shaking hands.

"It was..." Helen blinked, lifting her hand up to her eyes. It was water. She blinked again. "Nothing, I just got spooked by a squirrel."

She wiped her hand on the hem of her dress, reaching down to collect the basin. It's contents had spilt all over the ground.

"Here, let me," John offered, taking the basin and easily filling it up.

"Thank you," Helen could not help the small tremble in her hands as she watched him pump water into the basin. Only water came out. She scrunched her face up into a frown. She could've sworn...

"This for Nikola?" asked John.

Helen heard his name and looked up.

"Hmm? Oh, yes," she nodded, her mind still trying to piece together what it had seen. It must've been a trick of the light, or something...right?

"I'll take it to him, you...fix yourself a cup of tea," he took her shaking hands in one of his, as comforting as he could manage. The warm touch stilled some of her tremors. "That squirrel really frightened the life out of you."

Helen squeezed his hand gently.

"I'll be fine," she smiled as confidently as she could.

She could tell by his face that he didn't quite buy her assurance but she moved too quickly for him to question her further about it. She was back in the cabin in the blink of an eye, feeling a certain relief having something solid between her and the mangled forest that surrounded them. In daylight the trees looked as harrowing as peacocks, but when the sun went down they took on a more malicious appearance and with...whatever happened out there mere moment ago Helen couldn't help but feel their malice.

She looked down the hall to the door she knew Nikola slept behind...maybe he really was terrified of something out there.

Helen shook her head, she was spooked is all, Nikola's panic was taking a toll on her psyche. Sub-consciously she wanted something to be out there so that maybe their experiment hadn't been a complete failure.

Helen fixed herself a quick cup of tea and then sneaked off to her bedroom having enough of both Nikola and John for one evening. She was exhausted.

She laid her cup on the nightstand beside her bed and changed into her nightgown. She knotted her long blonde hair into one loose braid that draped down her back and then crawled under the covers. For summer the nights here certainly got nippy when the sun went down.

Helen lifted her hand, the one that had been spilt upon outside to examine it closely. There was nothing, of course, but she still had that feeling of unease.

She shoved the thoughts away from her mind and sighed, leaning against the headboard. Why couldn't she go on a simple retreat with her boys without something like this happening?

A knock from the door startled her, it was light, cautious.

"Yes," she called.

"May I come in?"

It was John, her lover, her protector...the man she definitely didn't want to see right now. She half considered feigning sleep but it was too late for that.

"Fine," she sighed.

John entered carefully, knowing he was on short terms with her this evening.

"What do you want?" Helen said shortly, picking up her tea and taking a sip.

"Helen, I'm sorry, I really am," John pleaded.

"For what?" Helen shrugged.

"For tonight, for my behavior," John sighed. "I realize I've been an arse."

"You and Nikola have always been like this, always at each others throats, I don't understand why..."

"It's you. I know you and Nikola are close, always have been, and I...I love you, Helen, so much, that seeing you and him being so close...I can't help it," he sighed and took her hand and sitting on the bed. "I never meant for it to go as far as it did."

"Then why did you let it go at all? I'm wearing your locket John, not his, that should've been enough for you, or do you really think of me as that kind of woman?"

"Of course not! It's him...you two have a trust built over years of friendship. I can't help it that...I want to be first for you...in everything,"John blushed slightly at his admission.

"John, I love you...and I love Nikola, differently, I love you all differently. Take comfort in _our_ love, our shared love," Helen cupped his chin. "Nikola and I will never share what we share, let him have his and he'll let you have yours."

She leaned over and kissed him gently.

"It's hard, Helen," John whimpered. "I want it all!"

He kissed her again, only more fervently, Helen couldn't help but respond. John's passion was strong and overpowering, and she didn't mind the thought of getting lost in it...despite circumstances.

Helen leaned back and let John follow, rolling him further on to the bed with her.

All the while her tea lay cooling on the nightstand.

~~~~Author's Notes~~~~

Sorry...John's there, you have to use him, don't worry...he won't be there long.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Nikola was having a nightmare. In his sleep he'd kicked the blankets and sheets off of him, his hand fisting into the mattress below him and his heels pushing against the footboard. There was sweat from the top of his head to the soles of his feet, and his back was arching off the bed with every second whimper that fell out of his mouth.

His brow kept scrunching and softening then scrunching again, while his eyes moved desperately around in their sockets.

A flash of lightning cracked above him and lit up his bedroom for a brief second, accentuating his distress. His thrashing become more wild, as if possessed.

He let out a pained cry as he arched off the bed particularly hard, nearly bending his lithe body in half.

Suddenly his eyes bolted open and his body went rigid, before arching up once again, ripping a feral cry from his lips.

Nikola, with all his might, rolled off the bed and fell with a painful thud to the hard floor. His limbs not strong enough to hold up his weight as he arched again, like a spooked cat, his spine bending up in a half moon shape as his nails dug into the floor.

The wind rattled against the eaves of the cabin and the sound hit him like a bag of bricks had been dropped on his head. It was deafening. The whistle of the wind through the trees was so loud he could barely hear himself cry out in agony as a hand came off the floor to clutch the side of his head.

It had to stop! It all had to stop!

Suddenly he flipped on to his back, arching once again. His body writhed against the hard wood, as if his bones were trying to claw out of his skin.

Nikola's hands tensed, his muscles taut all the way up his arm, splinters were digging into the space under his fingernails drawing trace amounts of blood and he could smell it, it was driving him crazy.

The wind blew a tree branch against the pane of a window and the resulting scratch was a sound that crawled up his spine and bit into his neck. He felt a vicious tug in his veins, like God was pulling something from his very soul out into the open for him to examine.

Nikola's eyes widened as he felt the change come to the surface. His face stretched forward and down, a cold blossoming from the center, between his eyes, and spreading to his ears. His jaw hung wide and open as he felt his teeth grow, catching his lip on one of them and instantly slicing through it like butter, only to have the pain instantly drift off into nothing, but the coppery taste that briefly touched his tongue seemed to fuel him.

Then it was pulled back and he was back to normal again, panting, shaking, and terrified, but whatever was trying to broach him had held off for the moment.

With this reprieve Nikola scrambled up to his feet and went over to the basin, messily sloshing the water on to his sweaty face. He caught his reflection in the small square of glass he was using as his shaving mirror, and he took a long look at himself. He was pale, the bags under his eyes darker, narrowing his already gaunt face. Sweat lined his brow and saturated his shirt, now cooling, causing his long body to shiver.

What was happening to him?

Then he heard a sound, softly at first, but there. He looked around the room for the source of it but it was not there, it was coming from somewhere else. Down the hall!

It was her! His heart lurched and he came to stop at his bedroom door, his ear pressed against the hardwood. He could hear soft grunts and sighs, the gentle shifting of bedclothes, punctuated by the steady thump of a young excited heart. There was another sound, more masculine, more desperate..._him_. Nikola felt his nostrils flare and the hair at the back of his neck stand on end. He hissed. They were together, not just with kisses and a spoken oath as he'd believed, no, they were together as close as one could be with another. His nails dug into the wood panel under his fingertips.

She'd promised she'd stay, but she had left him to have a tryst with her secret lover.

An anger, physicalized like never before burst through and erupted in his throat in the most pained and feral howl ever made by a man.

Helen heard his scream and instantly got out of the bed, leaving John's embrace instantly.

"Nikola!" her heart stopped.

She quickly put on her robe and rushed out into the hallway.

James and Nigel peeked their heads in from their bedroom door as Helen ran past to Nikola's bedroom door.

"What's happened?" asked Nigel, rubbing his sleepy eyes.

"I don't know, he was sleeping peacefully when I left him...I should've never left him," Helen said as she pried open the door. "Nikola!"

The room was empty, the window was smashed and the basin had been tipped over and spilt all over the floor. Helen gasped at the sight. She felt something crunch underneath her feet. Nikola's shaving mirror.

"I thought you said he was sleeping peacefully last time you saw him," muttered Nigel.

"He was...at least, I thought he was," Helen went over to the window. "We have to find him. Something is affecting him this way."

"Where do you think he's gone?" asked James.

"Anywhere but here."

_**~~~~Elsewhere~~~~**_

Nikola ran like the wind through the forest , the entire world was a blur around him and he himself didn't even know where he was headed, he just ran. Ran until his lungs burned and feet ached, ran until he couldn't run anymore. That was the plan anyway.

Despite it being the middle of the night he could see everything before him.

He just wanted to be away, away from this place, away from her. Away from whatever monster was trailing behind him.

All too soon the land before him was starting to fall away. He was reaching the cliffs that led to the rushing river below.

Where was the bridge? He knew they crossed one on their way here. Where the hell was the bridge?

Nikola stopped as his feet met the edge of the cliffs. The bridge looked like it had been literally torn apart. It's beams curled up on either side. It was a horrifying sight to see amongst the still darkness.

Nikola whimpered mournfully. He was trapped here. They all were trapped here.

He desperately looked to see if there was any alternate route to get across. His fingers twitched nervously as he walked around the heap of debris that used to be the bridge.

"No!" he cried. "You can't keep me here!"

He shoved against the wood beams, praying for a miracle, or something other than this. When he couldn't push it he began ramming into it with his shoulder, repeatedly until his body gave and he felt something dislocate. He yelped in utter agony, whether because of his shoulder or because of his fear.

He fell to his knees clutching his arm, his eyes squeezed shut as he muttered a prayer in his native language.

Then, like struck by the tiniest stone, he stilled, his eyes opening. He could hear the river. The river! He could swim across it, easily. They were there just a few days ago enjoying the sunshine on the banks, it would be no problem to find that path and cross the river from there.

He thanked God quickly before leaping to his feet and placing his arm in the crook between a tree, quickly and efficiently snapping his arm back into its socket. The pain was intense but faded quicker than he thought it would. Nikola didn't stop to think about it, he could only think about finding that path and making his way out of this nightmare.

~~~~Author's Notes~~~~

Short and sweet, a little bit taken from a previous idea of mine that I wrote in The Troublemakers. Eh, it works!

Enjoy!


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Helen changed out of her nightclothes quickly. Her hair was pinned up and out of her eyes, messily but effectively. She wore riding trousers and a hunting jacket. It would be easier to hunt for Nikola without worrying about catching her petticoats on branches or fallen trees. Besides, she was not going to waist time lacing up a corset. Time was of the essence and Nikola was only getting further away.

Helen marched out of her bedroom and into the living room where her compatriots were waiting. John, all dressed and hair back in place, was on his feet first the moment she entered.

Helen gave him a secret look that could cut through wood and he stopped his approach, whatever apology or words he had to share were melted instantly. He wisely closed his mouth and gave her a silent acknowledgement that he understood her wishes.

"We'll split up into pairs, John and I will check the bridge. Helen, you and Nigel will take the forest. He can't have gone too far, I'm sure we'll find some trace of him," James instructed.

Nigel came up beside Helen and handed her a large lantern.

"Found these in the workshed, figured we could use some sort of light out there," he handed another lantern to James who accepted it gratefully.

Helen nodded at the three of them.

"Be diligent, gentlemen, we need to find him before he hurts himself...or worse."

_**~~~~Elsewhere~~~~**_

Nikola was running in circles. He could've sworn the path had gone a different direction but it was like the forest had changed on him, like the trees moved their roots behind his back. He couldn't reorient himself he just had to keep on running.

The panic had risen in his throat and it took all his effort not to scream with desperation. _This was wrong...this was so wrong!_

Nikola paused, heaving in a deep breath.

_It was that book! John did this, that bastard!_ He knew something would happen if they fiddled with that book but John just had to push it.

A piercing sound bit the air and Nikola clutched his ears. The sound was powerful, nearly crippling him, sending him to the ground as he tried to hold back the pain.

He could hear a crunch of leaves under foot, it was miles away but he could hear it as if it was barely a foot away. They were looking for him.

Nikola weakly crawled behind the trunk of a tree, still clutching his head. He did not want to be found, he had to get out of this place, he had to make it to the river and as far away from that cabin as he could.

He could hear voices...breathing...leaves crunching underfoot...and he could smell. The damp smell of freshly wetted earth and the sap in the trees, but most of all, her. She was walking close by, he inhaled her deeply, sucking it through his nostrils and deep into his chest before slamming his head against the tree causing himself to let it all out in a big sorrowful sigh. His eyes stung.

He couldn't do it anymore! He couldn't sit there and pretend he didn't notice, that it didn't matter. She was the love of his life and he couldn't deny it to himself anymore.

So he ran from it instead.

Silently, but deathly fast, he began running, his feet eventually landing on a path, and his attuned ears picking up the sound of rushing water. The river!

He reached the banks they had visited not more than a few days ago but it was barely recognizable. The water had risen significantly, and the current angrier. From the shoreline he could see falling trees with jagged edges poking out of the waters surface.

What was happening with this place?

Nikola looked behind him, contemplating returning to the cabin in favor of searching for another exit out of this godforsaken forest. Then he looked forward to the raging river he'd have to cross if he wanted to get any measurable distance between him and his heartache.

He had to chance it.

Without another moment's thought he dove into the frigid stream. He broke the surface with a ragged gasp as the cold knocked the air out of his lungs. The current wasn't as strong as it looked, nor the water as deep, he was nearly towards the middle and it was barely chest deep. He'd see freedom yet!

Then, suddenly the water seemed to take on a whole new characteristic. It didn't feel like water anymore, the smell was headier too, he couldn't quite place it but he couldn't help the way it seemed to crawl up his nostrils and into the pleasure centers of his brain.

Nikola paused and breathed in deeply, where did he know this smell?

He'd closed his eyes to try and picture where he'd smelt this before. His mind conjured up images of Helen, fantasies more like...her lying in his bed, resting against the headboard, her arms above her head provocatively. Her neck was bared, as well she was only wearing a thin chemise to cover her modesty. Nikola's throat went dry as the images flashed. His focus in the dream going quickly from the entire tantalizing view of her to her throat. He placed kisses there, soft and teasing; she let out a laugh and raised her hands onto his head, stroking his hair. Suddenly he sank his teeth into the artery lining the column of her neck and red velvet came pouring out.

Nikola threw his eyes open. It was blood he was smelling.

He looked down to see the entire river had turned into a raging river of blood, deep and dark, staining his hands.

Nikola convulsed in revulsion at the horrifying red. He turned and began to return to the banks before something wrapped around one of his ankles...a hand or...or maybe a tentacle. It yanked, jerking him back slightly. Nikola looked down into the deep red depths in panic, quickly yearning to get out of the river. His mad scramble seemed futile as, as soon as he began to run to the shoreline, he was violently pulled under. The water was thick and black, and Nikola felt himself fighting, pushing, against some unknown entity. It attacked with sharp claws and cloying kicks and scratches but Nikola fended off each one with a swipe of his own, all the while feeling himself being dragged deeper and deeper.

Nikola swiped once more, striking his foe, hearing an unnatural screech and then suddenly he was released from whatever hold had been put upon him. Even in the inky blackness he could feel he was alone. Without thinking he frantically swam back to the surface, spluttering into the air, madly grabbing for anything, his hands coming across grass and earth.

He hefted himself on to the banks, releasing a gurgled cry of desperation as he fell against the grass, nearly sobbing into the dirt. There was no way out...there was no way out...


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

John and James trudged through the thick foliage of the woods. John aggressively swung and kicked at the clingy underbrush, his fists and jaw clenched since they had split from Helen and Nigel at the cabin.

James held the lantern and eyed his friend as he stomped on twigs and swatted at thorns.

"Something wrong, John?" he asked carefully, keeping his tone even so as not to provoke him.

"I'm fine," John barked. "I just can't bloody see where I'm going!"

John angrily stomped and kicked some more.

"Can you believe that she blames me for all this? Like I personally planned for Nikola to lose his head on this trip!" John kicked a thorny bush.

"Ah, you're upset about Helen," realized James.

"Of course I am, I am upset about all this. He always has to do this; take a trip that was supposed to be for all of us and make it about him, that's what he does, and she lets him!"

"John..."

"Alright! I read the book, I made some off-handed remarks, I poked him a little and suddenly I am the child in all of this! I'm the inconsiderate brute who ruined the entire vacation!"

"John!" James snapped.

"What?"

"There is something on my leg," James said stiffly.

"What?" John turned to his friend.

"Something has grabbed my leg," James said coolly despite the small hint of terror in his eyes. "I can't move, can you kindly see what it is?"

John sucked in a breath and moved towards James slowly, carefully kneeling down to his left leg to check. A root from one of the ancient spindly trees had snagged the hem of James trousers. John let out a log huff, quickly untangling the material.

"You could've fixed that yourself," he growled.

"I had to do something to stop your tirade," shrugged James.

"So you decided to terrify me?" John gave him a look.

"You leapt to conclusions, all I said was that I was caught," James shrugged.

John growled and broke the offending root right off, tossing it away with a sneer.

"Can we keep going?" he mumbled with just a hint of malice.

"What is going on between the three of you, John? You, Nikola, and Helen, what is..."realization dawned on him. "She is sleeping with him, isn't she?"

John's jaw visibly tensed.

"Of course, it makes perfect sense," James continued. "All those times they would disappear together, or go have a little "talk", heh, how did I not see it before?"

"You're wrong," John said tersely.

"Well, if you think about it..."

"No, I know you're wrong!" John growled.

"How?" James crossed his arms.

"Because...Helen is with me."

James' face fell.

_**~~~~Elsewhere~~~~**_

Helen and Nigel trudged through the woods silently. Helen kept looking for a smudge or a blotch, a sound, or even just a tiny bit of movement that would signal Nikola's whereabouts.

Nigel held the lantern high and as far out as his arms could reach.

"Damn and blast, can't see a bloody thing, everything looks the same," Nigel muttered.

Helen did not respond, her eyes furiously scanning the trees for even a trace that Nikola was nearby or had gone this way. There were no footprints, no broken ground, not even a crunched leaf to be seen.

"Perhaps James and John are having more luck," shrugged Nigel.

Helen hoped not, if Nikola was out there she wanted to be the first to find him. Nikola had been sleeping peacefully until she and John had...and maybe he'd heard...or seen something...maybe he was just terrified when he woke up to find himself alone in the dark.

"We should've just listened to him when he said he wanted to leave," Helen sighed. "I should've stayed with him, he must be in such a state to run off like this...it's not him!"

Nigel pursed his lips slightly in thought.

"What if..."

"What?" Helen said, sharper than she intended.

"What if this is Nikola's transformation? What if all this fear he is feeling is because - to his mind, his body is betraying him, changing, altering his state of mind and he has projected it out towards his surroundings..."

Helen pondered the cockney's hypothesis with serious deliberation.

"Think about it Helen, we have no idea what that blood does but we already know he had the strongest reaction to it out of all of us."

Helen felt her stomach hit her feet and her face betrayed her thoughts as he watched Nigel study her in the dim light.

"What's wrong?" he asked, concern evident in his voice mixed with a slight suspicion.

"I gave him a higher dosage than the rest of us," Helen averted his gaze and twiddled her fingers together.

"You what?" Nigel's face fell.

"I was so desperate for a reaction, any kind of reaction so I gave him a small percentage more, barely a finger's width more! I thought he could take it, I thought he was strong enough!"

"You just might've killed him!" yelled Nigel.

Nigel was not the type to get angry like this. James and John were the shouters, Nikola could be provoked into a tirade if he felt he was not being heard, but Nigel...Nigel was patient, calm, relaxed and always reasonable about his arguments, to have him shout in anger was as jarring as having cold water thrown on you while sleeping.

Helen ducked her head lower, feeling shame burn her cheeks.

"What if we can't get him back?" Nigel said coolly, grabbing Helen's wrist and jerking her to look at him. "I'm not just talking physically, what if he returns a shell of the man he once was Helen, did you ever think of that before you put his life in the balance?"

Helen felt tears sting her eyes.

"No," she sobbed. "I'm sorry."

"I know you're first and foremost a scientist Helen but I would've never expected you to put science ahead of us, this group, we were meant to discover the boundaries of science as a team not throw Nikola in as a sacrificial lamb."

"That was not my intention! I never lied to Nikola, I told him before I injected him that I had upped the dosage, he could've said no, he had the choice!"

"You bloody well know he did not, not when you were asking the question!"

Helen paused, choking back salty tears.

"What do you mean?"

"What do I mean?"Nigel scoffed harshly. "You could've asked Nikola to jump off a cliff into a river of poisonous eels for the sake of your science and he would've done so without a single moments hesitation. The man has adored you since he first met you, Helen, and don't say you didn't know, you know how easy it is for you to ply him to your will, you've been doing it this whole bloody trip! A soft word and a gentle hand and he would've gone into the depths of hell. Well, now your selfishness has paid off, hasn't it?" Nigel slammed a hand into a tree. The slap made Helen jump. Helen was speechless, every word of his had felt like a slap to the face.

"I'm sick of this," Nigel snarled. "I'll find him myself and when I do I'm taking him home, to your father to receive proper care. Nikola!" Nigel called, leaving Helen in the small clearing, taking the lamp with him.

Helen let out a gasp, almost more like a sob. Was it true? Had she possibly killed her best friend?

She sucked in air, her throat closing itself off to her guilt.

Nikola was right all along, they should've never come here in the first place. This place was poison.

A cry startled her from her thoughts. Nigel called for her. Without a moments hesitation she followed his call, hopping over fallen logs. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of what he'd found. Nikola savaged by some wild animal?

Suddenly she heard a scream and she picked up the pace.

"Nigel!" she cried.

"Helen!"

His voice sounded even more far off than before.

"Nigel!"

Another bloodcurdling scream echoed through the trees as a singular gust of wind rustled them menacingly. Then silence.

Helen shuddered.

The darkness became thick, and surrounded her from all sides. The trees faded into it, and even the moon seemed to be blotted out by it. It took on its own menacing life, crawling with icy hands to creep up her arms and over her shoulders to take purchase on her throat, lodging her screams in her trachea.

Helen took a step forward and heard a crunch underneath her shoe. She peered down and saw, just barely, that she had stepped on a fragment of glass. She felt its trail of broken shards, jolting back when her finger slid against the sharp jagged edge of a large piece. Nigel's lantern. She could smell it now, the oil can had broken and was spilling on to the forest floor.

"Nigel!" she called again.

Nothing. Just a faint rustling in the breeze. A feeling of immense dread washed over her. There was something...something in the woods.

~~~~Author's Notes~~~~

So...don't know if i'm going to continue this one...I've been sort of distracted with other things lately...I know bad writer (wrist slap)

I follow the muse where it leads me and for right now my Sanctuary fics will have to suffer because of it. I am still planning to finish Old Souls Young Eyes though! So there's that!

Thank you lovelies!

Geek


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